The field of the invention relates generally to a filter assembly for use in a turbine system, and more particularly, to a filter assembly for use in a gas turbine engine.
Fabric filtration is a common technique for use in removing particulate matter from an air stream in a turbine engine. Such filters are often used in known baghouses. Known baghouses may include a housing that includes an inlet that receives dirty, particulate-containing air and an outlet through which clean air is discharged from the baghouse. In such baghouses, often the interior of the housing is divided by a tube sheet, into a dirty air or upstream plenum, and a clean air or downstream plenum. Air flows through the inlet located in the dirty air plenum, through the filters and into the clean air plenum before leaving through the outlet of the clean air plenum. Known tube sheets are formed with a number of apertures, and support a plurality of filter elements that each extend about one of the apertures.
At least some known filter elements include a hollow support structure and a fabric filter media. In some of such filter elements, the support structure, which is also called a core, typically has a cylindrical shape that is defined by walls that include perforations that enable a fluid to pass therethrough. At least one end of the support structure is open and is coupled to the tube sheet such that the support structure extends about an aperture defined in the tube sheet into the dirty air plenum. Gaskets or filter seals are used to prevent air from flowing between the upstream and downstream side of the filter media in such a manner that the flow by-passes the filter element.
Generally, known filter seals are rigidly coupled to the filter with an adhesive. However, during installation, if the filter is inadvertently bumped, the rigid connection between the filter and filter seal may become weakened. Moreover, continued exposure to high temperature fluid flows over time, may weaken the effectiveness of and/or degrade the adhesive. Continued operation with a weakened bond between the filter and filter seal, may enable air to by-pass the filter elements and thus lessen the effectiveness of the baghouse.